The Movement of Pawns (Gravity Book 3) Read online

  Viey Pasthcraf was a veritable mastermind. Responsible for the vast majority of the weapons advances made in the last 3 decades, Hunter-Delta Industries flourished under her direction. Her imagination and intelligence promoted Hunter-Delta from a small design firm into a solar presence. H-D dominated the security and weapons supply market. It wasn’t until the Alliance began stripping away funding, refusing to pay out existing contracts, and generally forcing companies to operate deficient of funds that they made the move to the outer planets.

  The Alliance did such actions as some of the higher ranking officials were bribed to bring an end to Hunter-Delta’s hold on contracts.

  Unfortunately the move initially cost Hunter-Delta its staff of androids and hundreds of other employees that were unwilling to transfer. The change in strategy and the sudden ability to avoid taxation more than made up for the setbacks.

  “Where are the schematics you used?” Viey asked, her voice critical and commanding. “I wish to review them.”

  Jonathan looked down and shook his head. He wished in that moment that she would vanish from his ship. He imagined her being sucked out in a miraculous hull breech. The next fantasy had his security detail dragging her out. He was under no authority to make that happen though as his superiors insisted on the trials. His career now depended on their success.

  Reaching forward he pulled a sheetcom forward and handed it to her. She swiped it from his hand and reviewed it. “What are these notes?” she asked pointing at handwritten notes amended to the image displayed on the sheet. Her tone was no bitterer than the moments before, but Jonathan sensed that she was holding back.

  Jonathan looked at them as well. “The engineer was taking notes on the install,” he casually dismissed.

  “They are all wrong.”

  A lump jumped into Jonathan’s throat. Jonathan looked up over the sheet concerned over what he would see, or rather, what he wouldn’t understand. “Are you sure?”

  “I designed it, how can I not be bloody sure that notes made on my schematic are not accurate?” she argued. “They are wrong! He fucked with my design!” She threw the sheetcom at him and left the room. “You fix it by tomorrow or this deal is off!” she screamed as she turned the corner.

  The pilot and weapon’s specialist both turned to stare at their commander curious from the sudden commotion. Jonathan twirled his fingers telling them to turn back around. They did so.

  He didn’t bother to chase after her. Instead, he depressed a switch on the side of his chair and spoke loudly: “Link, to the bridge!” He released the switch and looked over the sheetcom trying to control his growing anger. He sighed and then depressed the switch again. “This goddamn century!”

  Link was an older man who had a long career as an Alliance engineer. Upon completing his service he looked to become a standard mariner engineer. His specializations specific to weaponry attracted the eyes of Tethys Securities who recruited him for their ventures. The money offered to Link far exceeded what he could have secured anywhere else. He took the offer.

  Jonathan wondered why they had chosen Link in the first place.

  A few minutes passed before Link entered the bridge at a pace that showed no concern over predators lurking about. He was a gruff, wide individual with large, hulking shoulders and what appeared to be no neck. He had a grey beard that hid most of his face, and he spoke in a low, rugged tone that often missed consonants as though they had become tangled within the whiskers of that very beard. “Wha’s wrong, cap’n?” he asked sarcastically. “The lady thins I screwed up again?”

  “It’s not working, Link! And you screwed with it! You should have stuck to her designs and left it at that, at least then she couldn’t blame you if the goddamn thing didn’t work.”

  “They’re cow-ner in-uitive! They make a-solutely o sense from an en-ineering s-andpoint, muh less logic!” Link’s face was flush with frustration. It showed a strip of dark red from his cheeks to the bridge of his large nose. His shoulders expanded as he puffed out his chest. He towered over Jonathan breathing angrily.

  Jonathan stared coldly at Link until the man lowered his shoulders. “You’re instructions were clear. Fix it. If we lose this contract, it will be you that I pin to this failure. Your ass will be working on colonial trash barges if you refuse to follow her instructions a second time.”

  Link turned angrily and walked off. When he was out of Jonathan’s view, he reeled back and punched the wall. A dull thud rumbled in the hall. He was embarrassed. Nothing in those plans made sense to him. It frustrated him, because he couldn’t understand it. He kept altering it in until it made sense. It didn’t work.

  He looked at his fist. It was already bleeding and swelling. The wall fared much better. He shook his head as he thought of the stupidity he was letting himself display.

  He was breathing heavily. He knew that he needed to relax. He tried to remove himself from the moment. He wanted to be calm before he made it back to the engineering quadrant. Before he took the job with Tethys he felt as though he was more relaxed. Corporate structure was so odd. Mixing it with military style functionality was simply irrational. Link couldn’t wrap his mind around how to navigate a structure where rank didn’t feel earned in the same manner as it was in the Alliance. The political bullshit reeked more than he could handle.

  He wished that he was back in the Alliance.

  But then again, they didn’t pay as well.

  The engine room was a small room with various monitors and control panels embedded in the walls. A few chairs were scattered at some of the stations, but most of the time the crew found it easier to stand.

  Much of the engine was too dangerous to enter. Work was done through robots controlled via those very consoles in the room.

  “Rip i- apar-!” he yelled. Three technicians jumped as the gruff sound of Link’s voice rammed into their ears.

  “What?! But we spent days on it already!”

  “Bitch thin-s it no- right. Redo i-. And this -ime we -o i- exac-ly as she design.”

  The three technicians cursed as they started the work on the array. Link watched for a moment before he ducked back out. He needed a nap. Maybe after he was done he’d take that large funds he received to come on board he would buy himself a small ship and start his own business.

  If only his motivation to do so followed his desires.

  Earth – year 2354

  “What’s your name?” a young boy asked a scared little girl.

  “A-a-Adrianna,” she stuttered. She was 6 years old. She hunkered quietly in the corner watching hundreds of people pass her without notice. Hours ago she had lost track of her family and in the desperate searching she found a small corner to hide in, to feel safe.

  “My name is Haden Rachid,” the young boy said proudly as he held out his hand to Adrianna.

  Adrianna stepped up and wrapped her arms around the young boy. The move surprised Haden; although, it made him smile.

  “Where’s your family?” Adrianna asked as she took notice that the boy helping her was alone as well.

  Haden hesitated as though he didn’t want to answer. “My dad and mom died. Dad died 5 years ago and my mom was so sad that my dad died that she died too.” His tone was matter-of-fact, bland. It was as though it didn’t matter to the young boy.

  Tears welled in Adrianna’s eyes. She couldn’t imagine being torn away from either of her parents in such a way. Even now, knowing that they were alive but not knowing where they were exactly scared her greatly. Having them be gone forever was a fear beyond the capability of her imagination.

  It had been a terrible 5 years for Haden. Having to watch his father waste away was more than a young child should ever have to endure. To Haden, like with so many children, his father supposed to be invincible. The disease ripped through his father relentlessly. By the end the man once invincible in his son’s eyes was unable to care for himself. Most days, Haden hid in his room so he didn’t have to see his father.

  Af
ter his father’s passing, Haden’s mother became severely depressed. Medication and treatments failed. Soon Haden avoided her as well. He no longer recognized her. Not long before they were going to abandon treatment, one of the medications showed improvement. It was enough to bring her out of her depression long enough to kill herself.

  “I live with my Aunt,” Haden offered, trying to move through the memories himself. “She lets me come down here all the time. I like it here. I like blending in with the people.”

  The little girl followed the young boy grasping his hand. She felt safe knowing that he was there to guide her through the overwhelming crowd.

  “I feel like I disappear,” he said. The little girl looked up at him, bewildered as she could see him clearly. It wasn’t until years later remembering this moment that she would realize what he had meant.

  The two moved cautiously through the crowd. Haden was careful not to allow the little girl to get lost again. As they walked, Adrianna kept looking up at the boy feeling oddly at ease by his presence. She couldn’t remember anything like that feeling before.

  Paris was always a busy city. As the populations grew, Paris became a Mecca of trade and business. With transportation becoming easier and so much of trade moving to off-earth enterprise, it mattered less as to where on the planet one settled. Paris, an already growing cultural center, was now one of the most populated places on Earth.

  Towards the end of the large square, there were small vendors with various types of foods. “Are you hungry?” Haden asked.

  Adrianna nodded her head quietly. Haden wasn’t looking at first, so as she kept looking at him as she continued to nod her head. Finally, he turned to see her.

  “There are some really good cooks here. They’re all androids. My aunt gives me credits I can get food whenever I want. I’ll buy you some.”

  She didn’t know why Haden was so willing to talk to her. She admired him though. He was fearless, confident in those moments. The crowds failed to deter him. Somehow he found her and he was able to guide her where he needed. And she felt oddly secure following him. It was if she knew that he wouldn’t lose her. She didn’t share that feeling with her parents. If she were to move through the crowds there with them, she would have gripped more tightly than she could bear to supplant any feelings of paranoia with security.

  “There’s a pretty android that makes some really good hamburgers,” Haden continued. “Androids like to cook. They say we humans got too lazy, so they do it now.”

  Adrianna glanced around as the carts all came into view.

  Behind them both a voice suddenly came bellowing, “ADRIANNA!”

  Out of the crowd Adrianna’s mother came rushing towards the children. The young girl turned, but did not smile when she saw her mother. She wanted to continue with Haden to this place that he told her about.

  “OH MY PROPHETS, I FOUND YOU!” she exclaimed as she grabbed Adrianna and wrapped her arms tightly around the young girl. Haden found himself stunned as Adrianna’s hand was taken from his own.

  “Where were you taking her?!” Adrianna’s mother hissed at Haden. She shoved him. “She’s MY daughter!”

  No response came from the young boy as he fought to hold back the tears that were trying to push through. Adrianna continued to stare at him. She was unsure if she would be able to escape from her parents once more. She didn’t realize how different her feelings were from a few moments before.

  Without another word the mother picked up her daughter with furious relief and disappeared into the crowd. As she walked away Haden saw the young Adrianna stare as she gently waved goodbye.

  “Who was that?” a platinum blond android asked Haden as she knelt down to offer him a small sandwich.

  “Her name’s Adrianna,” he sniffled.

  “I am sure that you’ll see her again.”

  Operations Transport Vessel

  In Oberon (Uranus 13 Colony) Orbit

  The shaking was unbearable. Adrianna couldn’t stop herself from shaking. Tears streamed down her face through her fingertips and then fell to the floor. Her screams echoed through the small ship.

  “Please set coordinates,” the control system repeated.

  Adrianna stood and screamed looking for something to throw at the system. She screamed, frustrated. Finding nothing, she resolved to slump down as she continued to cry bitterly. She was weak and sore. She fought to gain what little energy she could to even lash out as she did.

  “Please set coordinates.”

  Once she was free of the Uranus 13 colonial scanners Adrianna had erased the navigation set-points, and she let the ship drift aimlessly. It was only then that she allowed the pain of her last actions overwhelm her.

  Visions repeated of pulling the pistol from a holster on her back and aiming it at Haden. She had wanted to touch him, to embrace him, but instead she attacked him.

  She remembered seeing a genuine fear in his eyes the moment before she felt her finger squeeze. Haden fell as quickly as her actions took over her thoughts. Blood spilled out onto the ground while Adrianna stood before him.

  “No! NOOO!” she had screamed before a large man ran at her. Instinct allowed her to dodge him as he tried to grab her. She saw Haden’s body twitch below. Maybe he would live, but the wound to his skull looked frightening. Fear took over, and she ran before the others were able to respond.

  She suspected that she had been implanted with something that caused the behaviors she inexplicably displayed. It was the only explanation. Now she had four more lives on her hands.

  The days after being thrown in the live box and her recovery had been a blur. She could not recall a moment when something could have been implanted in her. Did they even know that Haden was alive when she was revived back on Rhea? Did Kyle Weathers get an opportunity? Could they have programmed her some other way?

  A feeling violation overwhelmed her. She had trusted the Alliance to the end even despite her willingness to abandon them. But that willingness was only through her love for Haden. And now they stole that from her.

  A light began to flash on her communications console. It continued to flash as she cried unaware of it. After a minute her ship’s computer announced, “Alliance protocol UO-883 communication received.”

  Stress further mounted onto Adrianna. She was sure that they were contacting her regarding the mission. She wanted to lash out, but she couldn’t show any emotion to them.

  If nothing else, she would not grant them that satisfaction.

  Taking a few moments to compose herself, she stood up, beleaguered. The light continued to flash on the console as she moved toward it.

  “Alliance protocol UO-883 communication received.”

  “Switch to audio only,” Adrianna instructed.

  “Acknowledged,” the computer complied.

  “Commander Feyet? Are you there?” asked a woman’s voice.

  “Copy, this is Feyet,” she answered still wiping her eyes trying to make them appear less exhausted, less like she had been crying.

  “Voice pattern is acknowledged,” the woman said. “Commander Feyet, positioning still has you located just outside of Uranus 13 orbit, is this correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “And as for your assignment? Was it completed?”

  “Yes,” she replied. A lump formed in her throat that she needed to clear.

  “Excellent. Will the body be available for the Alliance to take into custody?”

  “Negative. The opportunity was not afforded to me. It was too difficult to secure the body.” She hated speaking of Haden is such an arbitrary manner. She wiped her eyes. Her face tensed up as she tried to push the pain back. Her voice was tenuous. She was ready to break down again. It couldn’t happen now.

  “That’s very disappointing. How can you be sure then that your mission was a success?”

  The sound of the question infuriated Adrianna. Her fists tightened digging her nailed into her palms. A drop of blood slid off and fell to the floor. As s
toic as she could manage to keep herself, she replied, “I was in contact long enough to confirm his vitals,” she lied. She wanted it to be a lie.

  “Verywell. However, we will now need you to return to pick up an Alliance operative and officer from Uranus 13 for transport to our facility on Neptune.” Dread came over Adrianna. She was not pleased to need to dock there again. What if she saw him there? Could she handle seeing his body? What if the others saw her once more?

  Worse, she had to comply or mark herself for execution. Clenching her fist to ease the anxiety, she replied, “Is there a location?”

  “Operative 356Q has transmitted her coordinates to you. They have encountered resistance and will need to be retrieved. Execute any individuals that pose any threat. Do not tarry.”

  “Understood.”

  The communication went silent.

  “Transmission has been terminated,” the ship’s computer announced.

  With no one listening other than the AI system, she allowed the strain to reenter her voice. “Re-dock with Uranus 13. Transmit the docking code and land,” Adrianna instructed. “That pass should still be valid.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  The ship shifted as it realigned its trajectory. Within minutes it was docked once again at the station.

  Silence enveloped the ship as the systems powered down. Adrianna sat for a moment. She wiped her face trying to push out her emotion and focus now on finding her new cargo.

  She took her transference from her ship to the station. “Back so soon?” asked a woman who had set up her small shop near the dock. Her smile was warm and unknowing. Adrianna ignored her and flashed the pass to the dock attendant and forced her way back into the crowds. No one else appeared to recognize her. The incident outside of the Regalia went largely unnoticed. It was to her fortune. Murders rarely brought much attention as they were so commonplace. Unless the ship was still docked, she believed that there wouldn’t be anything that she had to fear.